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College Catalog 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

Students planning a program of study or concentration are urged to review program requirements and course descriptions before meeting with their advisors. Not all courses listed here are taught every year, and students should consult the Course Schedule on the Wheaton website for information about offerings in a particular semester. Courses are numbered to indicate levels of advancement as follows: 100–199, elementary or introductory; 200–299, intermediate; 300 and above, advanced. Departments often design new courses, either to be offered on a one-time basis or an experimental basis, before deciding whether to make them a regular part of the curriculum.  These courses are numbered 198, 298 or 398.

Information is available online through WINDOW about prerequisites that must be completed before enrolling in a course, as well as the curriculum and general education requirements that a course fulfills. Most courses are offered for one course credit; a course credit at Wheaton is the equivalent of four semester hours.
 

African, African American, Diaspora Studies
  

  • AFDS 103 - Introduction to African, African American, Diaspora Studies

    An introduction to the study of Africa and its diaspora, primarily in the Americas, but also Europe. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach to a range of historical, literary, artistic, economic and political questions crucial to the understanding of the experiences of people of African descent.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Social Sciences

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • AFDS 199 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Credits 0.5-1
  

  • AFDS 201 - Witnessing Contemporary African Society

    “Witnessing Contemporary African Society” is an intensive, interdisciplinary course designed to give students exposure to and an overview of one or more African countries normally South Africa and Botswana. Course activities and assignments include visits to political, economic, historical and cultural centers (e.g. townships, neighborhoods, museums and courts), meetings with local leaders and activists, lectures/seminars by local academics, and interactions with university students.

    Credits 1



    Foundation
    Beyond the West
  

  • AFDS 215 - Black Feminist Thought and Action

    The class will examine critical and theoretical issues in Black feminism from the 1960s to the present, focusing on the influential contemporary Black feminist intellectual tradition that emerged in the 1970s.  From this perspective, students will explore certain themes and topics, such as work, family, politics and community, through reading the writings of Black feminists. We will also study the ways in which women and men have worked together, toward the eradication of race and gender inequality, among other systems of oppression, which have historically subjugated Black women. Although emphasis will be placed on Black feminist traditions in the United States, at the end of the semester we will consider Black feminism in global perspective. 

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross listed with WGS 215  

     

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    23007

    Compass Attributes
    Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars, Global Honors
  

  • AFDS 299 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Credits 1
  

  • AFDS 399 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Prerequisites
    Permission of instructor

    Credits 1

Anthropology
  

  • ANTH 102 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

    This course explores cultural diversity in the contemporary world and introduces the ana­lytical and methodological tools that anthropologists use to understand cultural similarities and differences in a global context. This course will acquaint students with the extraordi­nary range of human possibility that anthropologists have come to know, provide a means of better understanding the culturally unfamiliar and offer a new perspective through which to examine the cultures that they call their own.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Social Sciences

    Connection
    20023

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Social Science, Structures of Power and Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ANTH 199 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Credits 0.5 - 1
  

  • ANTH 230 - Language and Culture

    Linguistic anthropology is concerned with the many ways that language and communication make us what we are as human beings and affect our daily social and cultural lives. Topics covered include: evolution of language; how language and culture affect the way we know the world; language acquisition; and language and communicative behaviors associated with social classes, races and genders.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Social Science

    Division
    Social Science

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • ANTH 235 - Peoples and Cultures of Latin America

    The course looks at the issues faced by peoples and cultures of Latin America primarily through the careful reading of ethnographies. The ethnographies, as well as the associated articles and films used in the course, highlight the social realities and history of Latin American region. In this course we focus on understanding the interconnectedness of the Americas, the relationship between gender and state development, multiple forms of violence (structural, gendered, political, symbolic and everyday), religious change, and the impact of migrations, as well as the legacies of historical constructions of race, gender and ethnicity.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Social Science

    Connection
    23003

    Division
    Social Science

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Social Science, Structures of Power and Inequality
  

  • ANTH 245 - Indigenous Movements of Latin America

    This course takes a topical approach to contemporary challenges facing indigenous peoples in Latin America. The course uses recent ethnographic accounts to give us an in-depth understanding of the struggles, achievements and meaning-making practices of indigenous peoples in Latin America. We focus on identity-making practices of indigenous ethnic groups in their struggles within the states of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala and Mexico.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Social Science

    Connection
    23003

    Division
    Social Science

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science, Global Honors, Structures of Power and Inequality
  

  • ANTH 246 - Imagining a Just World through Action

    The work of social justice is centuries-old, yet a just world remains elusive for the majority. Where and how do we begin to change our world? What should we do – or not do – to address injustice? Who gets to decide what social justice is? In this course, we study different approaches to enacting social justice, interrogate contemporary problems, and learn practical techniques to engage with each other and our communities. We explore global and local efforts for justice in political representation, gender, judicial processes, and knowledge creation. We will also learn through the experiential components of social justice practice.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    New course

    Area
    Social Sciences

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science, Structures of Power and Inequality, Taylor and Lane
  

  • ANTH 265 - Medical Anthropology

    Medical Anthropology explores how socio-cultural and biological factors influence practices of health and well being. Students in the course will learn about (1) diverse experiences and cultural influences on the distribution of illness, (2) cultural breadth in prevention and treatment of sickness and healing processes, (3) ways to document and understand the social relations of therapy management, and (4) the potential social benefits of pluralistic medical systems.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Social Science

    Connection
    20085

    Division
    Social Science

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Social Science, Structures of Power and Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ANTH 266 - Global Health: Power, Sex, and Gender

    Inequality shapes the ways that world health issues are experienced by individuals and communities across cultures. This course focuses on (1) how unequal access to power shapes reproductive health, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and other forms of gender-based health disparities; and (2) how power imbalances shapes the knowledge produced in the growing field of global health. The course will provide students with an understanding of the ways gender shapes global health issues. In addition, the course introduces students to the culture that underpins biomedical and public health practice.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Social Sciences

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Social Science, Structures of Power and Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ANTH 267 - Inequality and Health

    Health outcomes are shaped by socioeconomic inequalities worldwide. This course introduces students interested in medicine, public health, public policy, anthropology and the study of race and racism to the
    use of a cultural lens to understand how people experience and are affected by health inequalities in their everyday lives. Case studies will be drawn from contexts all around the globe.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    New course

    Area
    Social Science

    Division
    Social Science

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Social Sciences, Structures of Power and Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ANTH 298 - Ecuador, from the Andes to the Amazon: Understanding How We Look at the Natural World and Biodiversity

    This 18-day interdisciplinary study abroad cross-listed course combining perspectives and approaches from two disciplines: Biology and Anthropology. The course will offer students an integrated and immersive learning experience set at multiple sites in Ecuador, including the University of San Francisco in Quito (USFQ) in the Andes mountains, the Mindo cloud forest, the town of Coca at the edge of the Amazon, and deep in the Amazonian rainforest at Tiputini Biodiversity Research Station. Students will also be introduced to the historical approaches to scientific biodiversity research in the Amazon and Andes. Students will engage in participant observation of current scientific research as they undertake hands-on projects and interviews, visit multiple cultural and ecological sites, attend interactive talks by local community members, and have a chance to work with USFQ faculty members. Ultimately, students will understand how scientists have and continue to explore the rich ecosystems and biodiversity of the Andean mountains and Amazon forest.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Faculty-lead Short-term Study away program.  Offered Summer 2023. 

    Area
    Social Science

    Division
    Social Science 

    Compass Attributes
    Social Sciences, Sophomore Experience
  

  • ANTH 298 - Global Motherhood

    Designed in a reproductive justice framework, Global Motherhood draws on insights from gender studies, history, cultural anthropology and medical anthropology to explore the ways in which motherhood is theorized and experienced by parents who identify as mothers in distinct cultures, countries, and centuries. In the course students will explore diverse experiences of family formation, pregnancy, birth, infant feeding, and approaches to child-rearing and meet mothers from different cultures (in person and/or via Zoom visits to the classroom) to learn about their experiences first hand. Final applied group projects will connect students to issues of importance to a group of mothers. This course will be of particular interest to students in Public Health, Pre-Health, WGS, Anthropology, and Nursing. The course will meet requirements for Taylor and Lane, Structures of Power and Inequality, and/or Global Honors.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    This course is cross listed with WGS 298 .  From time to time, departments design a new course to be offered either on a one-time basis or an experimental basis before deciding whether to make it a regular part of the curriculum.  Last offered Spring 2023.

    Area
    Social Science

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • ANTH 299 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Credits 0.5-1
  

  • ANTH 301 - Seminar in Anthropological Theory

    This course is designed to create a space in which student-scholars may collaborate to deepen their understanding of the importance of contemporary theory in Anthropology and further develop their own theoretical approaches. Students will explore what distinguishes current paradigms from historical approaches and become familiar with important paradigms that shape the way that Anthropologists understand and interpret the cultural worlds that they study today. This course will not provide a chronological overview of the past one hundred and fifty years of Anthropological Theory, but will instead focus on contemporary theorizing of applied, public, activist, native, decolonial, and abolitionist anthropologists.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Open to Sophmore, Junior and Senior Anthroplogy or Anthropology and Public Health Majors or Permission of Instructor

     

    Area
    Social Science

    Division
    Social Science

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • ANTH 302 - Research Methods

    This seminar focuses on the fundamentals of ethnographic research design and methodology as they relate to anthropological and public health research. Students will learn to define a topic, formulate research questions, conduct a literature review, draft a proposal, conduct participant observation, carry out ethnographic interviews, design surveys, and create fieldnotes. We will discuss and practice these methods in real-world contexts, formulating research questions and practicing the methods best suited to answer those questions through a semester-long collaborative class project. The course culminates in the design of an individual pilot project and proposal.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Open to Sophomore and Junior Anthropology Majors or Permission of Instructor

    Area
    Social Science

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • ANTH 311 - Violence Against Women

    This seminar explores the nature of violence against women, focusing on current research on woman battering, rape, child sexual abuse and pornography. Students will compare theoretical approaches and will critically examine empirical research. The impact of race, ethnicity and class on the abuse experience are considered. A major part of the seminar involves original research by students on an issue of their choice. The semester will culminate in a symposium on violence against women organized by seminar members.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with SOC 311  and WGS 311  

    Permission of Instructor

    Area
    Social Science

    Division
    Social Science

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science, Structures of Power and Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ANTH 333 - Economic Anthropology

    The seminar explores capitalism and alternative forms of economic organization, chal­lenging students to reconceptualize “economy” as a cultural system. Students compare nonmonetized economic relations in different societies and interactions between economic cores and peripheries. This reconceptualization informs a critical understanding of the implications for participation in the global economic system and its impact on the rest of the world.

    Prerequisites
    ANTH 102  

     

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Open to Sophomore, Junior and Seniors or Permission of Instructor

    Area
    Social Science

    Division
    Social Science

    Foundation
    Beyond of the West

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Social Science, Structures of Power and Inequality
  

  • ANTH 357 - Indigenous Religions

    An exploration of the rituals, myths and symbols of indigenous religions and the interconnection between these religious forms and native ways of life. Focuses on Native North American religious traditions, but indigenous religions in Africa, Australia and Latin America will also be considered.

    Prerequisites
    One 200-level Religion course or Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with REL 357  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ANTH 398 - Environmental Health & Justice

    This course examines contemporary issues at the intersection of the environment, health, and justice. We will draw on interdisciplinary perspectives from political ecology to study some of the most pressing contemporary environmental and public health problems including: climate change, environmental justice and racism, habitat destruction, biodiversity, food production and distribution, energy sources, and the nexus between capitalism, consumerism, and ecological crisis. Students will analyze and explore how these issues have been produced and reproduced through human behavior interacting with the natural environment. We will consider historical, political, and socio-cultural contexts to adequately understand the challenges and to begin to imagine and implement alternative ways of addressing these pressing concerns.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    From time to time, departments design a new course to be offered either on a one-time basis or an experimental basis before deciding whether to make it a regular part of the curriculum.  Last offered Spring 2024.

    Division
    Social Science

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • ANTH 398 - Global Motherhood

    Designed in a reproductive justice framework, Global Motherhood draws on insights from gender studies, history, cultural anthropology and medical anthropology to explore the ways in which motherhood is theorized and experienced by parents who identify as mothers in distinct cultures, countries, and centuries. In the course students will explore diverse experiences of family formation, pregnancy, birth, infant feeding, and approaches to child-rearing and meet mothers from different cultures (in person and/or via Zoom visits to the classroom) to learn about their experiences first hand. This course will be of particular interest to students in Public Health, Pre-Health, WGS, Anthropology, and Nursing.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    This course is cross listed with WGS 398 Global Motherhood .  From time to time, departments design a new course to be offered either on a one-time basis or an experimental basis before deciding whether to make it a regular part of the curriculum.  

    Area
    Social Science

    Division
    Social Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Social Sciences
  

  • ANTH 399 - Independent Study

    Independent study supervised by a member of the Anthropology Department.
  

  • ANTH 401 - Senior Seminar

    A semester of directed research in which students explore topics of their own choice through original research as a capstone to the major. Students meet regularly in a seminar setting, which provides a framework in which to discuss the many stages of the research process and offer collaborative support to peers.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Open to Senior Majors or Permission of Instructor

    Area
    Social Science

    Division
    Social Science

    Compass Attributes
    Social Science
  

  • ANTH 499 - Independent Research

    Open to majors at the invitation of the department.
  

  • ANTH 500 - Individual Research

    Open to majors at the invitation of the department

    Credits 1



    Compass Attributes
    Social Science

Arabic
  

  • ARBC 101 - Elementary I

    This course provides the first-time learner with basic knowledge and skills in Ara­bic.

    Credits 1



    Foundation
    Foreign Language

    Compass Attributes
    Foreign Language
  

  • ARBC 102 - Elementary II

    A continuation of 101.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    An additional hour of conversation per week will be required and will be scheduled with the professor.

    Foundation
    Foreign Language

    Compass Attributes
    Foreign Language
  

  • ARBC 199 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Credits 0.5 - 1
  

  • ARBC 201 - Intermediate I

    During this course,students will review chapters 1-10 that are in Book I . Get tested on it before going to Book II, Al-Kitaab. Emphasis will be on learning new vocabulary, writing, reading and speaking will be applied in every class. Instructor will teach materials from the textbooks, CDs, DVDs, cultural events and articles, movies and the instructor personal experience as a native speaker. Speaking Arabic will be encouraged at each class.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    An additional hour of conversation per week will be required and will be scheduled with the professor.

    Foundation
    Foreign Language

    Compass Attributes
    Foreign Language
  

  • ARBC 202 - Intermediate II

    A continuation of 201.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    An additional hour of conversation per week will be required and will be scheduled with the professor.

    Foundation
    Foreign Language

    Compass Attributes
    Foreign Language
  

  • ARBC 299 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Prerequisites
    Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1
  

  • ARBC 301 - Advanced Arabic

    Students at this level have a broader range of vocabulary, more fluency in speaking, and more advanced skills in Arabic than students at the regular Intermediate Arabic level. The main objective of this course is to move students in a short period of time across the threshold of the high intermediate level of proficiency and provide opportunities and learning strategies towards the advanced level of proficiency. This level is characterized by extensive readings and discussions on a multitude of political, social, cultural, and literary topics. Listening activities focus on authentic materials of considerable length and content. At this level, students learn colloquial dialects mostly Levantine. The objective is to equip students with the necessary conversational skills that would enable them to engage in meaningful discourse with educated Arabs in a medium that is not considered artificial or unfamiliar in the Arab World.

    Prerequisites
    ARBC 101, ARBC 102, ARBC 201 and ARBC 202 or Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Course taught at Stonehill College.  Students are responsible for their own transportation

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Foundation
    Foreign Language

    Compass Attributes
    Foreign Language, Humanities
  

  • ARBC 302 - Advanced Arabic

    Students at this level have a broader range of vocabulary, more fluency in speaking, and more advanced skills in Arabic than students at the regular Intermediate Arabic level. The main objective of this course is to move students in a short period of time across the threshold of the high intermediate level of proficiency and provide opportunities and learning strategies towards the advanced level of proficiency. This level is characterized by extensive readings and discussions on a multitude of political, social, cultural, and literary topics. Listening activities focus on authentic materials of considerable length and content. At this level, students learn colloquial dialects mostly Levantine. The objective is to equip students with the necessary conversational skills that would enable them to engage in meaningful discourse with educated Arabs in a medium that is not considered artificial or unfamiliar in the Arab World.

    Prerequisites
    ARBC 101, 102, 201 and 202 or Permission of Instructor.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    This course is taught at Stonehill College.  Students are responsible for their own transportation.

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Foundation
    Foreign Language

    Compass Attributes
    Foreign Language, Humanities
  

  • ARBC 399 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Prerequisites
    Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1

History of Art
  

  • ARTH 100 - Design History and Theory

    This course is a global introduction to design ideas in a range of media: architecture, furniture, fashion, decorative arts, textiles, graphic and product design. We will study both design icons as well as the material world of everyday objects. Our main focus is how designers have negotiated form, function, materials and technology. But we also examine design projects in their social and historical contexts, considering how design both reflects and actively shapes cultural values. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the human impacts of different theories and innovations of design throughout history. The selection of both objects and themes will change depending on the faculty member teaching the course.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross listed with DES 100 Design History and Theory  .  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structures of Power and Inequality
  

  • ARTH 120 - Introduction to American Art and Design

    An introduction to American art and design from the colonial period through the midtwentieth century, this course examines the role visual culture has played in the formation of national identity. Students will consider a wide range of media, seeking to understand how artists, architects, and designers negotiated the rise of urban culture, industrial prosperity, sectional conflict, and the changing politics of race and gender.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross listed with DES 120 . 

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ARTH 121 - Introduction to Modern Architecture and Design

    In this introductory survey, we will study the evolution of Western architecture from the period of the Enlightenment to the twenty-first century. Examining the technological, political, and social contexts of key works throughout this period, we will consider the ways individual structures and the built environment have reflected modern Westerners’ greatest aspirations as well as their deepest anxieties.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross listed with DES 121 Introduction to Modern Architecture and Design  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities
  

  • ARTH 122 - Introduction to Modern Art in Europe

    This course provides a survey of modern art, from its origins during the French Revolution to WWII. Our approach will prioritize the political context and ideological impact of a select group of paintings and sculptures. Although our focus will be on Europe, we also consider how artists found inspiration in other cultures and events beyond their immediate borders.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ARTH 132 - Introduction to Contemporary Art and Design

    This course is an introduction to the theories and practices of living artists. Our goal is not a general survey of the contemporary art world, but a careful consideration of the political, material, and intellectual questions engaging artists and designers today. We study critical and creative relationships across periods, cultures, and media (painting and sculpture, photography, performance, installation, film and video). Close analysis of individual works, landmark contemporary exhibitions, as well as recent writings by artists, art historians, curators and critics form the basis of the course. Students will engage directly with contemporary collections and exhibitions, via gallery visits in either Boston, Providence, or both.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities
  

  • ARTH 142 - Introduction to Photography History

    This course is an introduction to photography as an artistic and social practice beginning with its 19th-century origins. We focus on major artists and movements in the history of photography, but also examine the factors that transformed perceptions of the media, helping to establish it as a modernist art form in the 20th century. We will consider debates surrounding the status of photography as fine art vs. documentation. We will see how photographers balanced the aesthetic possibilities of the camera with its political power to create ideological messages.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross listed with DES 142 . 

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities
  

  • ARTH 199 - Selected Topics

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Credits 0.5 - 1
  

  • ARTH 212 - African Art and Design

    This course provides an introduction to the rich, diverse, and inspiring world of African art.  We will examine the varied ways that African art has shaped and been shaped by the histories and cultural values of different African peoples, both in the past and during the present day.  This course will strengthen the student’s ability to critically assess the role of art in Africa for the people who produce and use it, and will provide an understanding of the role of African art in the West for the people who collect, exhibit, view, and study it.  Towards this end, we will look at diverse art forms, such as sculpture, painting, ceramics, masquerade, dance, literature, feature film, documentary film, and other forms of popular culture.  We will also visit art museums and galleries in order to experience African art firsthand.  Topics of study will include social political, religious, philosophical, gendered, and aesthetic practices. 

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross listed with DES 212 .

    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    23001

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities, Taylor and Lane Scholars, Writing
  

  • ARTH 220 - Grant Writing for Social Justice

    This course teaches students the mechanics of grant proposal writing and the political and social aspects of philanthropy and funding. We start with an introduction to grantwriting for nonprofit organizations, focusing on arts and social justice organizations. Students will identify sources of grant funding, conduct research to support their applications, and tailor proposals to specific audiences. Students will partner with a professional at a local organization and will write a grant proposal for their community partner. This course combines academic and advocacy goals and provides students with valuable professional experiences that will enhance understandings of the workplace and career opportunities.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with WGS 220  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Sophomore Experience
  

  • ARTH 222 - Learn to Negotiate

    Participants in this course will gain an understanding of societal factors driving income inequality and pay disparity in the United States, particularly with an intersectional focus. We will also cover historical and current efforts to combat the pay gap, including labor organizing and legislative efforts, and an understanding of income inequality and the ongoing harm of the pay gap (with focused study on the pay gap on federal and state levels, as well as within a student’s desired profession). After setting this foundation, students will explore resources and strategies to assist with negotiation in their future workplace (this includes workshops and exercises geared to helping students define, articulate, and claim their expertise).

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with WGS 222  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Sophomore Experience, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars, Humanities
  

  • ARTH 230 - Introduction to Museum Studies

    This course introduces students to museum history and practice and to theoretical issues in museum studies. Students will explore the ways in which museums and other collecting institutions represent people and cultures and will consider their missions, organizational structure and architecture, their role in the community and the contemporary challenges faced by museum practitioners.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Sophomore Experience, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ARTH 240 - Art of the Avant-Gardes, 1900-1945: France, Germany, Italy and Russia

    This course examines the artistic avant-gardes in France, Germany, Italy and Russia, during the first half of the 20th century. We study individual artists and their associated movements (Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism, Dada, Surrealism, for example) through select themes: appropriations from and critical responses to mass culture and emerging new media, to visual traditions outside of Europe; representations of sexual, racial, and class identity; and the relationships between modernism, nationalism, war, and revolution. Critical analysis of individual works of art, as well as primary texts, especially those by artists and critics articulating ideological theories of art-making and its social and political roles, forms the basis of the course.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross listed with DES 240 .

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ARTH 245 - Postwar and Contemporary Art: 1945-2000

    This course surveys the diversity of art making since 1945 through a thematic approach. We study postwar modernism Abstract Expressionism, Art Informel, Neo-Dada, Pop, Minimalism, Conceptual art in conjunction with more recent work, from a more global context, that challenges its discourses. By focusing on select concepts body, gender and identity, consumerism, natural environment, cultural hybridity, historical memory, e.g we consider critical and creative relationships across periods, cultures, and media (painting and sculpture, photography, performance, installation, film and video). Analysis of individual works, museum visits, web resources, and writings by artists, art historians, and critics form the basis of the course. (Previously ARTH 340).

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities
  

  • ARTH 250 - Modernism and Mass Culture in France, 1848-1914

    This course studies the early movements of European modern art (Realism, Impression­ism, Post-Impressionism, Cubism) with a focus on their interactions with mass culture. Beginning in the mid-19th century with Courbet and the impact of popular printmaking on his art, we study how other non-elite forms (lithographic posters, commercial photography, newspapers) shaped the subsequent development of modernist art, chiefly in France. In the second half of the course, we consider how new forms of leisure and commercial enter­tainment in Paris (cafe-concert, music hall, etc) impacted artists including Manet, Degas, and Seurat. We end in the early 20th century, with a consideration of cubist collage by Picasso and Braque and their adoption of the ephemera of mass culture: newspapers, song sheets, and department store advertisements. Why, if modernism can be traced through its appropriations from the commodity culture of capitalism, has it also been described as a critical alternative to it?

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    20088

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities
  

  • ARTH 255 - Art and Ritual of the Ancient Americas

    A historical and cultural examination of the architecture, sculpture and allied arts of the ancient Andes and Mesoamerica. Spanning the first millennium B.C.E. to the time of the Spanish Conquest, this course considers the role of the arts in the establishment and maintenance of pre-Columbian political/religious authority.

    Credits 1



    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Structure/Power/Inequality
  

  • ARTH 257 - Photography as Knowledge (1830-1930)

    This course is a social history of photography which examines how the medium shaped categories of subjectivity in the 19th century (class, gender, race, nationality, for example). We study how photographic representations were a means to archive and classify fields of knowledge. The development of photography in this period intersected with the burgeoning sciences of ethnography and anthropology, and it was used in both topographical and expe­ditionary surveys. Faith in photography as a document made it a powerful witness to war, urban development, colonial expansion and social inequalities. While we study the work of photography’ more well-known practitioners from Europe and North America, our approach will not emphasize the aesthetic innovations of self-consciously artistic photography. Rather, we examine both professional and domestic photography as a means to produce knowledge about the world.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with FNMS 252

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality
  

  • ARTH 263 - African American Art and Design

    This course explores the contribution of African American artists to the visual culture of the United States, from the work of 18th- and 19th-century enslaved and free blacks to the production of contemporary African American artists. Students examine the various strat­egies that African American artists have used to establish an independent artistic identity and to provide a political voice for their audiences.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    23010

    Division
    Arts and Humanities 

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ARTH 298 - Career Ready: Contemporary Visual Art and Design

    What are the questions and concerns engaging artists and designers today? We’ll focus on the professional contexts for visual art and design: how it is made, how and where it is installed, how it is shared with diverse audiences, and how it is written about and received. We’ll use the history of artists’ statements and other writings by art historians, curators and critics as resources. We’ll focus on the personal and political commitments, ideas, and issues behind the public careers of an international range of creative practitioners. Students will engage with curators, museums, collections, exhibitions, and influential publications, via workshops with invited professionals in the arts. We will research, prepare, and plan relevant conversations collectively, and share them with the broader community outside Wheaton. Student projects will receive professional feedback from leading experts in the field of curating and museum education.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    From time to time, departments design a new course to be offered either on a one-time basis or an experimental basis before deciding whether to make it a regular part of the curriculum. Last offered Fall 2020.

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities 

    Compass Attributes
    Sophomore Experience, Humanities
  

  • ARTH 298 - Curating Immigration Histories: City and Campus

    Using Providence, Rhode Island and Wheaton College as case studies, this course will explore how the built environments of city and campus have responded to demographic changes and evolving notions of national identity.  Students’ research will serve as an incubator for a future exhibition, also featuring work by students in ARTH 298 . This course is designed to develop professional skills, through a practical hands-on introduction to curatorial research. Using visual objects and documents from Wheaton’s Permanent Collection, Gebbie Archives, and other resources in Providence, RI, we will sharpen our interpretative skills with primary historical sources. In the process, students will see how an exhibition or public program is generated by humanities research. Our goal will be to reactivate historical materials with new questions, to create a relevant multi-dimensional visual presentation that speaks to a diverse 21st-century public.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    From time to time, departments design a new course to be offered either on a one-time basis or an experimental basis before deciding whether to make it a regular part of the curriculum.  Last offered Spring 2020.

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • ARTH 298 - Curating Immigration Histories: Objects and Archives

    The course explores the material histories of immigrant communities in Providence, alongside the history of Wheaton College. Via historical objects, photography and other evidence, we’ll try to understand how our college and region have responded to demographic changes and to shifting ideas about national identity. Students’ research will serve as an incubator for a future exhibition, also featuring work by students in ARTH 298 .  This course is designed to develop professional skills, through a practical hands-on introduction to curatorial research. Using visual objects and documents from Wheaton’s Permanent Collection, Gebbie Archives, and other resources in Providence, RI, we will sharpen our interpretative skills with primary historical sources. In the process, students will see how an exhibition or public program is generated by humanities research. Our goal will be to reactivate historical materials with new questions, to create a relevant multi-dimensional visual presentation that speaks to a diverse 21st-century public. 

    Credits 1



    Notes
    From time to time, departments design a new course to be offered either on a one-time basis or an experimental basis before deciding whether to make it a regular part of the curriculum.  Last offered Spring 2020.

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • ARTH 298 - Museums in the Digital Age

    From audio guides to crowdsourced exhibitions to award-winning social media accounts, museums have always experimented with the latest forms of technology, at times driven to do so by artists who incorporate new media into their work. Today, museums receive exponentially greater numbers of visitors to their websites than their physical sites, and the pace of technological change has staff scrambling to gather the human and financial resources needed to function in the digital age. This course explores how museums – highly respected, yet often controversial cultural institutions – use digital media and technologies to better care for their collections, engage their audiences, and navigate relationships with source communities.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with FNMS 298 Museums in the Digital Age .  From time to time, departments design a new course to be offered either on a one-time basis or an experimental basis before deciding whether to make it a regular part of the curriculum.  Last offered Summer 2021.

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • ARTH 299 - Selected Topics

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Credits 1
  

  • ARTH 300 - Art and Race: Africa in Modern France

    This seminar examines how a fascination with African visual cultures motivated several artists and designers working in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century France. Modern art in France was profoundly shaped by a series of direct visual appropriations from African makers, embedded in a system of Eurocentric beliefs about racial difference. We consider this African-inspired history in the context of colonialism and imperialism.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ARTH 312 - Contemporary African Arts

    This course will explore contemporary African art and the discourses that frame its pro­duction, reception and history. Issues considered include authenticity, tradition, modernity, nationality and African diasporic art. We will also examine the complex relationship of African art to colonialism, European art and its discourses, and the influence of global­ization and popular culture. We will focus on several artists or artistic traditions as case studies, including the art scene in Dakar (Senegal); artistic production in post-Apartheid South Africa; and the revival of “traditional” forms through studio art markets. We will also explore the collection and display of contemporary African art. Readings include debates over the nature of representation in the postcolonial world, critiques of the place of African art in the symbolic and monetary economies of the Western metropolis, African feminism as expressed in the arts, and studies of the new contexts of so-called ethnographic objects.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Connection
    23001

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ARTH 320 - Matisse and Methods

    This seminar will focus on Henri Matisse (1869-1954) using his work as a lens to explore the methods of art history. The vast literature on Matisse provides us with a range of writers asking different questions of the artist’ work. After a critical consideration of methodologies that have been used to interpret Matisse’ work (formalist, structuralist, psychoanalytic, feminist, postcolonial, for example) we will focus in on one art historical question in par­ticular, surrounding sources and their possible influences on Matisse. How have scholars and curators interpreted Matisse’ studio sources, and his appropriations from other media (photography, for example) and other cultural traditions (African and Islamic for example)? Have these approaches adequately addressed the complex relationships between Matisse’ paintings and sculpture, and the critical concepts about representation which inform them?.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality
  

  • ARTH 330 - Picturing New York: Art and Design

    In this course we will explore artists’ attempts to capture the essence of New York City, from its origins in the 17th century to the 9/11 period and beyond. Considering archi­tecture, prints, photography, painting, sculpture, and film, we will examine the conditions under which New York gave rise to a uniquely American form of urban imagery, attempting to understand the roles that geography, politics, capitalism, race, and gender have played in New York’ development. In addition, we will investigate how these images and designs broke from traditional practices/forms, seeking to understand what “Modernism” means in its New York context.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • ARTH 334 - Exhibiting Africa: Past & Present

    This course explores the ways in which Africa and its animals, peoples and material culture have been represented by museums and other collecting institutions. We will study how economic, political and social change influence practices of collecting and display and how debates over cultural heritage and repatriation apply to the African continent and its diaspora.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Global Honors, Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality
  

  • ARTH 335 - Exhibition Design

    This course introduces students to the history, practice and theory of exhibition design. Students will engage in all aspects of the exhibition design process through reading, in-class discussions, site visits, and guest lectures as well as the design and installation of an exhibition. We will consider the visitor experience and how objects and ideas are inter­preted by and for different audiences, as well as how museums use technology to engage the public. Students will gain an understanding of the history of exhibition design as well as the challenges museums and other collecting institutions face in making their collections accessible to the communities they serve. Students will be required to participate fully in the practical component of the course, which involves the research for and the design and installation of an exhibition for Wheaton’ Beard and Weil Galleries.

    Prerequisites
    Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Registration for the pre-application section of this course is required.  Eligibility to enroll in this course will be determined at the first day of class.  Cross-listed with FNMS 335  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Sophomore Experience
  

  • ARTH 365 - Power, Protest, and the Public Monument

    The urge to publicly memorialize racially charged moments in American history has long roots. This seminar will examine the full range of such monuments, from those designed to honor victims of slavery and other racial violence to others celebrating resistance and Civil Rights activism. Additionally, students will study the rise of the Confederate monuments of the Jim Crow era – interrogating the circumstances of these works’ creation and considering contemporary debates surrounding their destruction and/or removal. At the conclusion of this seminar we will explore how civic, institutional, and artistic interventions have successfully challenged and re-imagined such monuments.

    Prerequisites
    A 200-level History of Art recommended but not required. 

    Credits 1



    Notes
    This course is cross listed with DES 365 .

    New course

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts & Humanities

    Foundation
    Beyond the West

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure Power and Inequality, Taylor & Lane
  

  • ARTH 370 - Women at Work: Art History and Feminism

    This course considers the ways feminist scholarship has transformed the discipline of art history, examining the rediscovery of exceptional women artists from the 1970s onward, as well as recent feminist critics’ efforts to redefine the structure of the field. Students exam­ine two overlapping categories of work; the production of women artists and patrons, and the textual contributions of feminist scholars and critics. The rationale for this new course is to strengthen the department’ ties to women’ studies and to broaden the theoretical focus of the history of art major.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with WGS 371  

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality, Taylor and Lane Scholars
  

  • ARTH 371 - Masculinity and American Art

    In this seminar we will explore the intersection between the United States’ visual culture and its historical constructions of masculinity, seeking to understand the ways gender, race, sexuality, and class have shaped both. Throughout the semester we will seek to understand how artists and critics have presented masculinity and American character — however an age may have defined them — as synonymous, and to examine the ways in which challenge others have challenged this assumption.

    Prerequisites
    One 200-level History of Art course or higher or Permission of Instructor.  

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Cross-listed with WGS 372

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities, Structure/Power/Inequality
  

  • ARTH 397 - Cataloguing Curiosity: The Providence Athenaeum Art Collection

    In this seminar we will undertake a major cataloguing project for the Providence Athenaeum, a library and art collection established in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1836. Every student will research and write a set of scholarly catalogue entries for the Athenaeum’s art collection, considering the works’ intrinsic art historical value as well as the objects’ connection to the intellectual and cultural mission of the institution. The completed entries will become an online resource as well as an eventual print publication. Over the course of the semester we will also study the history of membership libraries and Athenaeums in the United States more generally, and visit two of the oldest such institutions in the country: The Redwood Library and Athenaeum in Newport, Rhode Island, and the Boston Athenaeum.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts and Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Sophomore Experience, Humanities
  

  • ARTH 398 - Power, Protest, Public Monumen

    The urge to publicly memorialize racially charged moments in American history has long roots. This seminar will examine the full range and intent of such monuments, from those designed to honor victims of slavery and other racial violence to others celebrating resistance and Civil Rights activism. Additionally, students will study the rise of the Confederate monument in the Jim Crow era – interrogating the circumstances of these works’ creation, and considering the current debate surrounding their removal. At the conclusion of this seminar we will explore how civic, institutional, and artistic interventions have successfully challenged and re-imagined such monuments.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    From time to time, departments design a new course to be offered either on a one-time basis or an experimental basis before deciding whether to make it a regular part of the curriculum.  Last offered Fall 2023.

    Area
    Humanities

    Division
    Arts & Humanities

    Compass Attributes
    Humanities
  

  • ARTH 398 - Slavery, Protest, and the Public Monument

    The urge to publicly memorialize or condemn racially charged moments in American history has long roots.  Students in this course will examine the full range and intent of such monuments, from works designed to commemorate abolition efforts, Emancipation, and Civil Rights activism; post-Reconstruction Confederate memorials erected to bolster the “Lost Cause” mythology of the Jim Crow era; and public installations by contemporary African-American artists whose work has powerfully challenged the legacy of the Confederate monument. Throughout the semester, students will consider the roles that urban planners, designers, politicians, university officials, and museum professionals have played in the discourse over race and the public memorial.

    Credits 1
  

  • ARTH 399 - Selected Topics

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Credits 1
  

  • ARTH 401 - History of Art Senior Seminar

    The course is a required capstone experience for senior majors. It provides an in-depth engagement with the art historical skills of primary research, object analysis, using historical evidence, and situating visual expression in cultural and intellectual contexts. The specific area of inquiry is developed each year by the faculty member teaching the seminar.

    Prerequisites
    Senior History of Art Majors and other qualified students by Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1
  

  • ARTH 499 - Independent Research

    Offered to selected majors at the invitation of the department.

    Credits 1
  

  • ARTH 500 - Individual Research

    Offered to selected majors at the invitation of the department

    Credits 1

Astronomy
  

  • AST 130 - The Universe

    Discover the nature of stars, black holes, nebulae, supernovae, galaxies, and other cosmic phenomena. We will learn what these objects are, how they formed, and what is ultimately in store for the universe. We will explore the roles of light, energy, and gravity in astronomy. Weekly two hour labs, utilizing Wheaton telescopes as well as remote telescopes all around the world, will provide hands-on experience working with astronomical equipment and data. Students will learn essential techniques such as astrometry, photometry, period determination, RGB image creation from multiple images taken using different astronomical filters, during the labs.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    A lab section must be selected with lecture.  

    Area
    Natural Sciences

    Connection
    20059, 20077

    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • AST 140 - The Solar System

    The processes that shape the surfaces and atmospheres of planets and satellites and how the planets have evolved in different directions. Students will learn how planetary data are gathered and how to interpret those data and will design a mission to address one of the many remaining mysteries of the solar system.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Natural Science

    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • AST 180 - Rocket Science

    Space … the final frontier. Why should we go, how do we get there, and what should we bring? This class will give students a broad background in the challenges and opportunities of space travel for scientific, national security, or commercial purposes. Specifically, the class will focus on the physics of rocketry, orbital dynamics, spacecraft engineering, telecommunications, instrumentation, and planetary science. Students will engage in hands-on and group activities to simulate mission design and operations. Enrolling students should be comfortable with using algebra and trigonometry, and expect a fast and challenging introductory class – it is rocket science, after all. 

     

    Credits 1



    Notes
    A lab must be taken with the lecture

    Area
    Natural Science 

    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • AST 199 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Credits 0.5 - 1
  

  • AST 202 - Frontiers of Astronomy

    A writing- and discussion-intensive seminar class where students work on developing and reviewing proposals. Students come up with projects that they would like to carry out using the Hubble Space Telescope. They submit a proposal describing their project, following the same formatting rules as that of the actual Hubble proposals. The rest of the class assumes the role of a peer-review panel. Students will present multiple proposal ideas over the course of the semester. Throughout the semester students will learn about current research topics in astronomy, identify unsolved problems, and develop and critique proposal ideas to solve those problems.

    Prerequisites
    One previous course in Astronomy or Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Area
    Natural Sciences

    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • AST 250 - Ancient Astronomies

    We will study coordinate systems, celestial navigation, eclipses and the motions of the sun, moon and planets. We will then use this knowledge to view the skies through ancient eyes, especially those of Islamic and Mayan astronomers, and gain insight into these cultures and their shared passion for astronomy.

    Prerequisites
    One Astronomy of Physics course

    Credits 1



    Connection
    20071

    Foundation
    Beyond the West, Quantitative Analysis 

    Compass Attributes
    Quantitative Analysis
  

  • AST 272 - Introduction to Astrophysics

    In this class we will start exploring the physics behind astronomical phenomena. Why and how do stars shine? How do we find out compositions of stars, nebulae, and galaxies? What is the life cycle of stars? What powers supernovae, quasars, and blazars? We will also discuss unanswered problems like dark matter, dark energy and an accelerating universe.

    Prerequisites
    PHYS 170  or AST 130  or Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Area
    Natural Sciences

    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • AST 299 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Prerequisites
    Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Area
    Natural Sciences

    Division
    Natural Science
  

  • AST 302 - Advanced Astrophysics

    Topics will include orbital mechanics: from Kepler to Newton; stellar structure and evolution: from protostars to main sequence stars to degenerate remnants; radiative processes: blackbody, synchrotron, bremsstrahlung, and Compton scattering; accretion disks and jets near black holes and neutron stars.

    Prerequisites
    AST 272  or PHYS 225  or Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1



    Area
    Natural Sciences

    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • AST 303 - Astrobiology

    Is there life on other planets? Science has not yet answered this fundamental question. We can approach an answer by examining current research on the origin of life, habitable environments on other planets, and the cosmic distribution of life’s building blocks. A multidisciplinary seminar for students from any science background.

    Credits 1



    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • AST 305 - Observational Astronomy

    A hands-on, project-based course where students will use telescopes in the Wheaton College Observatory, remote telescopes all around the world, as well as archival data obtained from space- and ground-based observatories, to carry out independent research projects throughout the semester. The projects will range from topics such as monitoring variable stars and physical environments close to black holes and neutron stars, motion of nearby and hypervelocity stars, studying spectra of the Sun and bright astronomical objects. Students will learn how to analyze multiwavelength data, visualize and interpret results, and present conclusions in the form of scientific reports.

    Prerequisites
    One course in Astronomy or PHYS 180  or Permission of Instructor.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Natural Sciences

    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • AST 399 - Independent Study

    An opportunity to do independent work in a particular area not included in the regular courses.

    Credits 1
  

  • AST 500 - Individual Research

    Selected majors are invited by the department to pursue individual research in preparation for writing an Honors Thesis.

    Prerequisites
    Permission of Instructor

    Credits 1

Biology
  

  • BIO 101 - An Introduction to Biology

    This course is taught using an issues-oriented approach and includes topics of current interest to today’ society, such as the human genome project, genetic testing, genetically modified foods, the population explosion, nutrition, cancer and biodiversity. This course encourages critical thinking and questioning and teaches you tools that will enable you to evaluate scientific arguments and make appropriate decisions affecting your life and society. This is an introductory, laboratory-based course in biology for non-majors. Three hours lecture and three hours of laboratory per week.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    A lab section must be selected with the lecture.

    Area
    Natural Science

    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • BIO 105 - Nutrition

    This course focuses on nutrients, their digestion and metabolism. The application of the fundamentals of nutrition to daily life, health issues such as diabetes, disordered eating, heart disease, cancer, as well as food safety, food insecurities and genetically modified foods. Students will keep a food journal and analyze their current diet.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Open to Seniors, Juniors and Sophomores.

    Preference is given to students pursuing a Pre-Health Program. 

    Area
    Natural Science

    Connection
    23002, 23021

    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • BIO 114 - Introduction to the Biological Sciences

    Bio 114 lays the foundation for your journey through the biological sciences. This lecture and laboratory course introduces you to major themes in biology, the process of biological discovery, practical skills of experimentation, and the intersection of biology with social justice. We introduce biology not as a list of disconnected facts, but as a holistic science. You will learn skills such as interpreting figures, applying quantitative reasoning, reading critically, and designing and conducting experiments. We don’t expect you to become experts in this one semester but to develop the tools and understanding necessary for your journey as a biologist.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Natural Sciences

    Division
    Natural Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Sciences
  

  • BIO 115 - Natural History of New England Forests

    A field-based course with observational and experimental activities. Students will learn to identify the common flora and fauna of the surrounding forest community. The course will also examine historical and contemporary human impact on New England forests. Field trips to coastal forest ecosystem and the Fisher Museum at the Harvard Forest.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    A lab section must be selected with lecture.

    Area
    Natural Science

    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • BIO 198 - Introduction to Evolutionary Biology

    Evolution is the central unifying theory underlying all the modern biological sciences. It is the scientific explanation for the diversification of life as we know it, and can provide profound and sometimes surprising insights into why the natural world is the way that it is. This course will introduce students to the basics of evolutionary biology including the history of evolutionary thinking, what evolution is, the overwhelming evidence for evolution, how the mechanisms of evolution really work and have led to the diversification of life at multiple levels, and how the application of evolutionary thinking is used to inform the modern biological sciences. The goal of this course is to provide a solid foundation in understanding what evolution is, how it works, and how to view the world through the prism of evolution.

    Prerequisites
    BIO 114 Introduction to the Biological Sciences   or AP/IB Biology Credit.

    BIO 111 also accepted for students who entered Wheaton prior to Fall 2021.

    Credits 1



    Notes
    Students who have completed BIO 303 Evolution  may not enroll in this course. 

    From time to time, departments design a new course to be offered either on a one-time basis or an experimental basis before deciding whether to make it a regular part of the curriculum.  Last offered Spring 2023.

    Area
    Natural Science

    Division
    Natural Science 

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • BIO 199 - Selected Topics

    Discussion and research on special aspects of biology such as animal or plant physiology, animal development, ecology, microbiology and genetics; content varies with the interest of students and instructors.

    Credits 0.5 - 1



    Notes
    Offered at the discretion of the department.
  

  • BIO 200 - Research Experience in Biology

    This course will provide students who are interested in the Biosciences with a research experience in Biology. Individual course sections will focus on different areas of Biology, including but not limited to Cells and Molecules, Organisms, Ecology, and/or Systems. The specific research topic and meeting times for each section will be determined by the faculty instructor. Three to four hours of laboratory or fieldwork per week, with the possibility of some additional outside hours (field trips, etc).

    Prerequisites
    BIO 114  or AP/IB Biology credit. 

    Corequisites
    BIO 202 Science Communication  

    Credits 1



    Area
    Natural Sciences

    Division
    Natural Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science, Sophomore Experience
  

  • BIO 201 - Environmental Science

    An introduction to the science needed to address current and future issues in conservation biology.  The course focuses on biodiversity, including what it is, how it is distributed, threats to its existence, and strategies to protect it.  Topics include habitat destruction and fragmentation, climate change, overexploitation, invasive species, and endangered species.  Three hours lecture per week.

    Prerequisites
    BIO 114  or AP Bio credit or permission of the instructor. 

    BIO 111 also accepted for students who entered Wheaton prior to Fall 2021.

     

    Credits 1



    Area
    Natural Science

    Connection
    23009

    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
  

  • BIO 202 - Science Communication

    How can scientists best communicate the exciting but sometimes complex ideas of biology memorably and clearly to different types of audiences? BIO 202 Science Communication will answer this question through active learning in a supportive environment. Students will gain practical experience in science communication by presenting the subjects they are learning and the discoveries they are making concurrently in BIO 200 Research Experience in Biology. Genres to be covered include the writing of scientific papers, posters, as well as oral presentations of scientific talks, posters, and rocket pitches. BIO 202 will provide foundational and valuable knowledge and skills for any bioscience major to use in future courses and careers in science.

    Prerequisites
    BIO 114  or AP/IB Biology credit

    Corequisites
    BIO 200 Research Experience in Biology  

    Credits 1



    Area
    Natural Science

    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science, Writing
  

  • BIO 203 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I

    This course is the first of a two-semester Human Anatomy and Physiology series. This course studies the structure and function of human tissues, organs, and organ systems. Topics include tissues, integumentary, skeletal, muscular, and nervous system. The laboratory component includes dissections and experiments. Three hours lecture and three hours of lab per week.

    Prerequisites
    BIO 114  or AP/IB credit. 

    BIO 11 or BIO 112 also accepted for students who entered Wheaton prior to Fall 2021.

    Credits 1



    Area
    Natural Sciences

    Division
    Natural Sciences

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Sciences
  

  • BIO 204 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II

    This course is the second of a two-semester Human Anatomy and Physiology series. This course studies the structure and function of human tissues, organs, and organ systems. Topics include the endocrine, cardiovascular, reproductive, respiratory, and digestive system. The laboratory component includes dissections and experiments. Three hours lecture and three hours of lab per week.

    Prerequisites
    BIO 105   or BIO 203   

    Credits 1



    Division
    Natural Science

    Compass Attributes
    Natural Science
 

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